SKY WATCHING

05.04.12

‘Supermoon’ to Shine on Saturday

Ted Aljibe, AFP / Getty Images

Get your tripods out. On Saturday night, the biggest and brightest full moon of 2012 will come out at 11:35 p.m., as the “supermoon” reaches its closest proximity to Earth this year. The effect of the moon’s perigee—rising only 221,802 miles from Earth—will result in unusually high and low tides this weekend and into next week. The moon will appear 30 percent brighter than other full moons this year. Last year’s supermoon came nearly 250 miles closer to the Earth than Saturday’s perigee will.